India celebrated 55 years of independence from Britain today amid tight security against threats of Islamic militant attacks.
It accused its rival Pakistan of having "double standards" in its fight against terrorism.
At least nine people, including a child, were injured in an explosion on a train in eastern Jharkhand state, the state's police chief said. There was, however, no reported violence in the Himalayan province of Kashmir or elsewhere in the country.
Some 100,000 police and paramilitary soldiers took positions at key points in New Delhi as Prime Minister Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee addressed the nation from the 17th-century Red Fort, a symbol of Indian nationalism.
Earlier, Vajpayee paid homage to the father of India's freedom movement, Mohandas K. Gandhi, by placing flower petals at the eternal flame of his memorial.
"India today has a place of pride in the world. It is standing tall, self-reliant. Its global influence is increasing fast," the prime minister said.
Police frisked thousands of people who gathered to listen and checked vehicles passing through the area. Sharpshooters dotted the skyline as they took positions atop tall buildings. The alert followed intelligence reports of a terrorist threat.
Pakistan marked its Independence Day yesterday. Both nations acknowledge that peace would bring prosperity to their combined population of more than 1.15 billion.
Yet they have been unable to put aside their animosity, which started with the partition of British-ruled India into independent India and Pakistan in 1947.
AP